Day 3: The Ten Commandments

Jesus replied, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: "Love your neighbor as yourself." All the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments. Matthew 22:36-40

I love "Today's Treasure." It's such a great verse, and it alludes to the Ten Commandments. As we saw pointed out in today's study, the Ten Commandments can be summed up in 4 commandments concerning our relationship with God, and 6 commandments concerning our relationships with others. It's hard, at least for me, to not look at the Ten Commandments and think they're just a set of rules. However, there is so much more going on here! God is always looking out for our best interest, it's just that we often don't interpret it that way. For instance, when we say "no" to our kids, they don't always interpret it as being what is best for them! They may think we're just being mean or that we don't ever want them to have any fun! However, we all know better than that. We tell them "no" they can't run out into the street because there are cars that may not see them! And on and on the list could go. Even now, as a parent, though my eyes are open wider than ever before, I still have a hard time seeing this sometimes. Does anyone else??

Back to "Today's Treasure," how do you think the law and prophets could hang on the two commands Jesus mentioned in Matthew 22? Here's my answer: Because in doing these two things, everything works out and falls into place--our relationship with God and with others! This is the way of Jesus which all the law and prophets pointed to! If you look back at every law or at any of the prophets, you will find that in every instance it is either about loving God or loving people. That pretty much sums it up. It's hard to think it boils down that simply, huh? But we all know, though it might seem simple, it certainly isn't always easy!

I also love the idea that Jesus came not to abolish the law but to fulfill it! What an amazing thing! We are completely and utterly incapable of not breaking the law, if you will. Our very nature is sinful. Praise God that He sent Jesus to fulfill the law so that we could be free of it! It's not that the law is done away with, but we no longer are condemned by it when we accept Christ and His sacrifice! We are no longer judged by the law, Christ has set us FREE!!! Now, that is freedom! But with that comes some great responsibility! There are many differing opinions as to how far we can take this freedom in Christ. We must be careful and realize that our deeds do still matter, obedience is still essential in our walk with the Lord. The Ten Commandments are still appropriate today so that we can live good, long lives and our children can do so as well. So, let's be concerned that the Ten Commandments are written on our hearts and the hearts of the generations to come!

Are you obeying all of the Ten Commandments or just the ones that you find convenient? Ask God to reveal areas of your life where you have strayed from His laws.

Day 2: The Gardener's Shears

This concept of God as a gardener is really cool, in my opinion! It helps things make sense. For instance, when you think about a plant that needs pruned--it's a good plant. It's growing and thriving. It's getting the nourishment that it needs. However, there are still weeds and sucker shoots and sometimes an over-aggressive branch that need to be pruned in order for it to stay healthy and keep growing! You see, we can be good people, godly people, but there are still things in our lives that need removed by the gentle pruning hand of God.

As we learned today, there are a few ways this pruning takes place in our lives. First, by the very Word of God. When we study and fill our lives with His Word it helps to prune out the rotten branches and weeds, and also keeps us from sin! And secondly, our situations--especially suffering--help to prune us.

I have a personal illustration of this.... A few years ago my husband and I experienced a miscarriage when I was almost three months along. It was not only a horrible thing, but the way it happened was a bit traumatic!.... First of all, due to some (certainly not all!) of our Christian brothers and sisters reactions, we were more aware than ever of whether or not we had a true belief in the sanctity of life! It was amazing to us the way other brothers and sisters in Christ treated our miscarriage as if nothing had happened or as if we shouldn't be mourning a loss of a child. And yet, these same people will base their entire vote for the presidency on whether or not the candidate believes abortion is right or wrong! It seems we pick and choose in which cases we'll wave our "Sanctity of Life" flags!... Now, at the same time, we had many, many brothers and sisters in Christ and also non-believers who mourned alongside us and really helped us through this horrible time in our lives! But it certainly awoke in us a deep passion to help others through such a horrible thing and to be more aware of our beliefs and how we carry them out! Plus, when this happened to us, it made me realize what is really important in life. I remember not being as concerned with the temporal things in life that I tend to get caught up in. My mind was on more eternal things--like lost souls and others who are suffering even more than we were at the time! It really gave me some perspective. Unfortunately and honestly, I can't say that it stayed.... I long to be in more of a constant state of good, godly perspective like that time in my life brought me to. I can honestly say that I would never have this perspective had I not gone through all of that!

Does anyone else have any personal experiences to share concerning God's pruning?.....

And knowing what was inside the ark below the mercy seat was amazing! The gold jar of manna representing God's glory, provision and teaching. Aaron's staff which had budded representing the way in which God reveals His chosen people. And the stone tablets, which we will discuss more in tomorrow's study... I think, for me, the budding staff sticks out the most in this lesson! It is important we realize that we are known by the fruit we produce, or rather, the fruit that is produces in us. We can see riddled throughout Scripture the love of God, and His passion and desire to lavish it on us! So, while there are many things God produces in us, love is perhaps the greatest fruit of all!

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. John 13:34-35

Are there ways that God has produced fruit in you or pruned you either through His Word or through your circumstances?

Day 1: The Mercy Seat

The mercy seat... What a beautiful thought.... Jesus is the mercy seat. What does that mean for us? Well, it means Jesus is God's mercy. That's right. Where does God's mercy come from? Jesus. Where is God's mercy displayed? In Christ Jesus. God has been merciful from the beginning, and His mercy has always been available because of His plan from the beginning that involved Jesus!

I've heard it described like this before: "Grace is getting what you don't deserve, and mercy is not getting what you deserve." So, grace is a gift--like salvation--that we really don't deserve. There is nothing we have done or can do to make ourselves eligible for this gift. And mercy is a sort of cover--like Christ's sacrifice--that shields us from getting what we truly deserve, death. In other words, Christ is the very definition of mercy. He took on our sin, sacrificed Himself and paid the price so that we would not have too! You see, He is mercy!!!! The mercy seat.....

And to see how He was represented in the Tabernacle all along. As this unfolds, it gets more awesome! Don't you think?!....

And not only does He cover our sin and take it away, but in that, there is freedom from sin! We do not have to choose sin, we can choose Christ and His forgiveness which sets us free from sinning any longer! We have all experienced Christ's forgiveness in many ways....

What are a few ways that you are thankful for Christ's mercy and forgiveness?

Here are a few of mine:

1. I have struggled (and still do at times) with bitterness toward people and things in my past. I am so thankful for the freedom that comes in giving this over to Jesus!
2. I am thankful that God has revealed my true self to me in that I have seen the ugliness of my own sin--it helps me to forgive others when I see ugliness in them! We are all alike in this--we have darkness in our hearts and we are prone to sin. We do not all choose forgiveness and freedom, but those of us who know Christ and have experienced His forgiveness can at the very least forgive others who have hurt us!
3. I am so thankful that His mercy is ever available to me! Each day is a new day. And His mercy is available to me to cover my sin--where I have let others down, stuck my foot in my mouth (or both of them!), or had bad thoughts... Whatever my sin, His mercy is available to cover it and make me new! Praise God!!!

Hearts Beyond the Veil

Day Four: God on the Move

Today we looked at God's design plan for building the ark of the covenant and gained some insight into what the building materials He requested represented.

Acacia Wood: Christ's incorruptible humanity
Gold: His deity
Together: the unity of incorruptible man and God

Also, the ark was formed in three layers.

Outside: Gold, represented God the Father
Center: Wood, represented God the Son
Inside: Gold, represented the Holy Spirit

At the four corners of the ark were golden rings that held the two poles which were used by the Levite priests to transport the ark from place to place. They were to never be removed for any reason.

These poles had two major purposes, as we learned in today's lesson.

Purpose #1: They were used to ensure proper transport of the ark. We read a very striking story in 1 Chronicles 13-16 about what happened when the ark was carried in a manner disobedient to the guidelines God laid out for the Israelites. Lesson learned: Always seek the Word of God when doing anything!

Purpose #2: God wanted to be on the move with the Israelites. The poles were a constant reminder that God chose to travel in community with His people, shunning a more permanent dwelling place in a temple as we read in 2 Samuel 7:1-6. Lesson learned: He is constantly seeking relationship with His people!

Think of times you have acted on your own impules rather than seeking direction from God's Word. What should your plan of action be when you have decisions to make?

Hearts Beyond the Veil

Day Three: The Ark of the Testimony

Therefore brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Hebrews 10:19-22

The day has arrived! We finally got to part the veil and humbly enter the inner sanctum to gaze upon the ark of the covenant! I can't wait to learn more about this most awesome of structures in the coming lessons.

Today we learned that the main task of the ark of the testimony was to preserve God's Witness. His Glory with them at all times in the wilderness and beyond. And taking a long look back to the beginning of our study, we see that this was the first piece of furniture God instructed the Israelites to make for the tabernacle. Beth Moore gave some insight into this saying, "He began with the place of His presence because communication starts with God and ends with people. God always approaches us before we can approach Him!"

Have you ever really considered this? We get to approach God because He first approached us - we can't do anything apart from Him! This bible study has been timely for me in so many ways, and even though it seemed like initially I chose to do it of my own accord, it has continually been revealed to me as we dig further into this study just how much His Hand was at work - it was no accident that we happened to pick this particular study with which to start our blog! There is no better explanation other than He is always working out His will - enabling us, enticing us to grow closer and deeper in relationship with Him.

Think back on either your initial salvation or restoration after a time of wandering. Describe ways God drew you closer to Himself.

Hearts Beyond the Veil

Day Two: A Room With a View

One of the things (and I think I've mentioned this before) I am loving about this study is discovering all the many ways the Old Testament points to Jesus - how all of scripture is intricately interwoven together. It's mindboggling to realize just how divinely inspired God's Word is. Beth Moore said it best: "...God's Word is so perfect I can hardly fathom it." Exactly.

Today's study was no different. We looked at the significance of the four walls surrounding the holy of holies likening them to the Gospels, and the four very different perspectives they give regarding the life of Jesus. Pretty amazing, huh? Each one gives a close look at a specific aspect of Jesus - servant, King, human yet God, God yet human. A perfect four-sided view.

I always get a little goosebumpy when I think of how relevant the bible is and has always been. It addressed cultures that lived thousands of years ago and is able to address the cultures of today. Humans have not changed much over the years. We're still struggling with the same issues. How great is our God that he inspired four very different Gospels so that all people can come to know Jesus in a way they relate to and understand?

Beth Moore suggested one more representation for the four walls surrounding the holy of holies: Christ's love for us. It is deep. It is wide. It is long. It is high. Nothing we do can separate us from His love (Romans 8:39). It encompasses and covers everything. Do you feel that? Do you believe that? My prayer is that you can. That you will choose to "experience Him in His fullness" and by doing this "know this love that surpasses all knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." (Ephesians 3:19)

At the end of today's lesson, Beth Moore gave some scriptures (Psalm 40:2, Isaiah 55:9, Jeremiah 29:11, Romans, 8:28, and Philippians 3:14). Spend some time pondering each of these. Which one do you feel most addresses your current circumstances? Why?

Day One: Radiant Intimacy

Today we learned about the veil, a sumptuous curtain threaded with scarlet, blue, and purple whose task was to separate the holy place from the holy of holies - where God's Presence resided.

Isn't it so crazy to think about the fact that God's Glory was so amazing that it had to be withheld behind a veil because if any unprepared mere human gazed upon it they would die? It seems inconceivable to even think about what a radiance of that nature would look like. Have you ever tried to imagine it?

But this is even more amazing:

We, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18

Because of Christ and His completed work on the cross, we are invited to approach and gaze with unveiled faces upon the glory of God - a glory that never fades, that brings righteousness to all who accept! The veil is removed when we choose to follow Jesus. We get to walk in radiant intimacy with our Glorious God! Incredible!

Did you take the time to ponder 2 Corinthians 3:7-18? How did those verses speak to you today?